By Nikole Babb nbabb@cherryroad.com
A biology teacher turned blown glass artist has been making custom pieces to ship across the country for 23 years. Going from teacher to artist is a big leap with its struggles, but Scott Hartley has made his dream of being an artist come true. It all started when he visited Karg Art Glass in Kechi.
“All I could think was, if I don’t try, I’ll look back and regret it for the rest of my life.” Scott said.
After teaching at Kapun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School for two years, Scott decided to make the leap into glassblowing after being offered a position at Karg Art Glass. Always having a love for art, Scott saw this opportunity to live out his dream of creating art for a living. Not knowing what the trade would bring him in the future, he knew it was the right job for his soul. In 2003, he started his own glassblowing business in Benton, calling it Infinity Art Glass.
“I had already signed my new teaching contract, so I had to break it.” Scott said. “Looking back now, I’m glad I made the decision. I told my wife, Gwen, I’m going to be good at this. I was willing to put in the time and put my time into it.”
Attending art shows around the country and submitting his work to galleries across the US has allowed Scott to build a reputation for his work. Primarily creating custom pieces reminiscent of modern-contemporary artwork, she also sells smaller pieces in her gallery. Smaller pieces include paperweights and Christmas ornaments along with display pieces. How do you create such a delicate and beautiful work of art? “There are so many pieces that fail, but that’s part of it,” admits Scott. “That’s how you learn in glass, it’s by making mistakes. You go on from there and figure out how to do it differently and more efficiently.”
The answer: very hot! As many know, glass is made by melting sand. The process is not as simple as it seems, however. Sand needs compliments to make it easier to melt at a lower temperature. A low temperature of 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. The addition of chemicals such as borax, soda ash, and other chemicals allow the sand to set and melt over a full day. A transparent molten glass is then created that is cooled to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit that can be turned into art.
After Scott, make the glass into the desired shape using tools to stretch and shape the glass, including a blowtorch that allows the artist to blow air pockets into the glass. He then puts the formed glass into an annealing furnace to cool to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and then to room temperature, degree by degree, which takes about 2 days. The piece is then ready to be sanded and polished so that it can achieve a nice smooth shine.
“One of the things I love about glass is that it keeps you humble.” Scott said. “Despite years of experience and days when you can get what you want, there are days when it just doesn’t work out. There’s always the lingering thought that it might not work out, but when it does, it’s very rewarding.”
Aside from jumping the normal business hurdles like inflation, COVID and learning how to get into art galleries, Scott shared his biggest hurdle has been grieving the loss of his two daughters who the family lost at just 10 months apart in 2018 and 2019. Claire and Lola were just 17 and 13 years old when they died from health problems related to diseases and a rare neurometabolic disorder.
“I always like to talk about my girls,” Scott shared. “My family is a huge inspiration in my life and my entire career. Losing them made it very difficult to continue making glass because they were such an important part of my life.”
Claire and Lola were born with an asparagine synthetase deficiency, which caused their heads to be smaller than usual and over time, brain tissue loss, or atrophy. The girls are remembered for their legacy of being true warriors and the strongest people the family has ever known. Gwen even spearheaded the passage of Claire and Lola’s Law, a law passed on July 1, 2019. The law allows the possession and use of CBD oil with a THC percentage of 5% or lower for medicinal purposes only with any repercussions for patients suffering from a debilitating condition.
The oil is used to relieve symptoms of inflammation, pain and seizures in patients suffering from conditions such as Claire and Lola. The family’s hope is that the passage of Claire and Lola’s Law will continue to help many children and adults in need for generations to come.
“Gwen has been a great supporter of them all her life and a magical mother.” Shared Scott. “Claire left before we could approve it, but Lola was still with us, so she was able to benefit.”
For more information about Infinity Art Glass, you can visit the website at https://www.infinityartglass.com/. You can visit the gallery and the workshop on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 13.305.30 and on Saturdays from 9.00 to 12.00. The store is located at 120 N Main St in Benton. For more information on Claire and Lola’s Law, you can visit the Facebook page or refer to Kansas Statute Annotated 21-5706(c).
